Mugabe says sorry to ex-deputy he sacked
JOICE Mujuru visited her former boss, Robert Mugabe, earlier this week, and said he apologised for sacking her in 2014.
It was the first time Mujuru had met the man since their fallout.
Mugabe appointed her to the cabinet at independence in 1980 and promoted her to vice-president in 2004.
At the instigation of his wife, Grace, and new President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mujuru was sacked from her position and expelled from Zanu-pf.
She was accused of assassinate Mugabe.
Her spokesman, Gift Nyandoro, said after their meeting the two met at his private mansion at his request.
Nyandoro said Mugabe blamed Mnangagwa and his deputy, former army chief Constantino Chiwenga, for hounding her.
“One of the reasons for the meeting,” Mugabe said, “was to say sorry for everything that happened to you.”
His quotations, carried in Harare newspaper, Newsday on Friday also quoted Mugabe as saying: “I was misinformed and I decided to call you so that I can say I’m sorry, my daughter, we were misled.
“I have come to know that all the people who were fighting you are Mnangagwa and Chiwenga. It was a grand plan to get to me and not yourself.”
He said Mujuru, 62, then reiterated to Mugabe: “Baba (father), I told you that I had nothing against you. All these people were fighting plotting to me simply because they wanted to expose you and get rid of you.”
Chiwenga retired from his army post after leading the military into the coup d’état and was then rehired as deputy president and defence minister, which some lawyers say is unconstitutional as members of the presidium cannot also hold cabinet posts.
Mugabe was forced to retire when parliament began the process to impeach him.
Mujuru’s meeting with Mugabe is the first time anyone has gone public to say they have met him since his resignation.
So far no one has reported seeing his wife.
Mujuru’s meeting with Mugabe took place two days before she was injured when she had stones thrown at her while addressing a rally for the small National People’s Party party she now leads. She says her attackers were from Zanu-pf.